The Friends of the St. Paul Public Library conducted a national search for a new president and found one in their own back yard.

Beth Burns, 48, a St. Paul resident who recently served as a vice president with the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley, will join the group on Dec. 5, serving as the St. Paul library system’s lead fundraiser and advocate.

Beth Burns, a St. Paul resident who recently served as a vice president with the Minnesota Zoo, will take over as as president of Friends of the St. Paul Public Library Dec. 5, 2016. (Courtesy photo)

Burns succeeds Peter Pearson, who is retiring after 25 years at the Friends of the St. Paul Public Library.

The organization, which has a $3 million annual operating budget, employs 18 staff members and produces 70 events per year.

It raises $2 million annually for the library system, and additional funds for libraries around the world through the consulting group Library Strategies.

During her three years at the Minnesota Zoo, Burns oversaw a division that included the zoo’s marketing, sales, public relations, membership, guest relations, government affairs and education programs.

She was previously the executive director of the Lutheran Music Program and has held board or leadership roles at the Guthrie Theater, the Minnesota Music Coalition, Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, the 15 Head Theatre Lab and the Minnesota Association for Arts Educators.

In a written statement, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and Friends board chair Joe Bagnoli said they were confident that the group could work jointly with the city to promote the library system under Burns’ leadership.

Bagnoli said the board pick was unanimous.

“We were impressed by Beth’s leadership record and her extensive experience with fundraising and advocacy,” he said. “She has the combination of skills the board was looking for.”

Frederick Melo came to the Pioneer Press in 2005 and brings an aggressive East Coast attitude to St. Paul beat reporting. He spent nearly six years covering crime in the Dakota County courts before switching focus to the St. Paul mayor's office, city council, and all things neighborhood-related, from the city's churches to its parks and light rail. A resident of Hamline-Midway, he is married to a Frogtown woman. He Tweets manically at @FrederickMelo

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